January 3 - Sargas 64 and 65 of Yuddha Kanda.
Before Kumbhakarna actually enters the battlefield, there is some kind of comic relief from the intercession by Mahodara, one of Ravana's chiefs, who plays the devil's advocate. In fact, I don't know how many devils were there in Ravana's court!
***
Mahodara steps forward and denounces the "empty" boast of Kumbhakarna as well as his "ill-conceived" advice to Ravana.
कुम्भकर्ण कुले जातो धृष्टः प्राकृतदर्शनः ।
अवलिप्तो न शक्नोषि कृत्यं सर्वत्र वेदितुम् ॥
न हि राजा न जानीते कुम्भकर्ण नयानयौ ।
श्रेयं पापीयसां चात्र फलं भवति कर्मणाम् ।
अनुपासितवृद्धेन कः कुर्यात्तादृशं बुधः ।
"Oh. Kumbhakarna! Hold on! What makes you think you are brave and wise? Your birth in a high lineage like Ravana's has been wasted by your evil nature and crude view of life. You have no locus standi to give advice on what should be done. What makes you think our King is unaware of what is the right way to conduct himself and what is the wrong way? The pursuit of sense pleasures and the goal of the heavenly afterlife can be pursued simultaneously. Indeed whatever actions one undertakes may give unpredictable results -good and pleasant results sometimes or occasionally adverse results (i.e. the abduction of Sita could very well have turned out as a big win also). Well, how would you know all this, you never served your elders and gained wisdom!"
"Kumbhakarna, coming to your boast about facing the enemy alone, what a foolish thing you say! Don't you know Rama killed fourteen thousand of our rakshasas in Janasthana? Some of them who fled from there and now live here shudder out of extreme fright just to think of him. Rama is an irresistible lion when provoked!"
सर्पं सुप्तमहोबुद्धया प्रबोधयितुमिच्छसि - "You wish to go wake up a sleeping king cobra. How foolish!"
कस्तं मृत्युमिवासह्यमासादयितुमर्हति _"Who indeed would like to go and face that Rama who is the god of death incarnate!?" Mahodara adds that taking even the entire army of Lanka would be risky if they confronted Rama in battle.
Now Mahodara addresses Ravana.
"Oh, Lord! Forget what Kumbhakarna said. Here is my wonderful plan to get Sita on your side. Let us five chiefs, myself, Dvijivha, Samhradi, Kumbhakarna, and Vitardana go together into battle. You please make a huge announcement with drum-beats about this. Once we conquer Rama, your path to getting Sita would be unhindered.
"Supposing we cannot destroy Rama, we can go to Plan B. We would return from battle bleeding from Rama's arrows, bringing with us the arrows bearing his insignia. We will proclaim all over Lanka that yes, there was a battle, but we managed to eat up Rama and Lakshmana. We will also claim handsome rewards from you in public view. Then you will arrange a huge proclamation to be made by a chief riding on an elephant that Rama was killed in battle along with his army and his brother."
"Then you will go with a beaming countenance with your retinue and triumphantly tell Sita that you have destroyed her only saviour Rama. You will give her generous gifts and arrange a bevy of servants and handmaidens. You will be drunk as proof of your great celebration. The news will spread that Rama has died and your conduct in front of Sita will cement that notion. Your temptations and bribes, combined with the loss of her only hope in Rama, will compel Sita to see the wise option of succumbing to your proposal! After all, she must be missing very badly all the royal pleasures and comforts she would have enjoyed before! She will then willingly come to serve you!"
Mahodara praises himself for this excellent piece of advice to Ravana. He says this plan has incomparable appeal as the king would be accomplishing his objective with minimal bloodshed!
***
Kumbhakarna was unaffected by this outburst from Mahodara. He solemnly proclaimed to Ravana, "Oh King, I shall go today and kill your enemy. You can enjoy your life and your choice pleasures totally rid of your worries! I am a true hero and such heroes don't make empty claims instead of going to battle. This Mahodara's advice would appeal only to a king deluded that sycophancy and ill-considered advice are sources of victory. Mahodara! You should be ashamed that in this dire situation, of empty coffers and the matryrdom of many of our heroes, you are resorting to sycophancy and stupidity as a winning strategy. You are worse than an enemy!"
***
Ravana had been silent so far. Now he gave out a laugh. "Kumbhakarna! I well know this Mahodara to be a coward afraid of facing Rama. I woke you up knowing that you alone are our supreme warrior and can accomplish our victory. Go into battle and may victory be yours! Carry your spear and a noose like Yama and kill and devour Rama, Lakshmana, and others today!" Ravana's voice had a clear sign of relief and confidence in Kumbhakarna.
***
Kumbhakarna was exultant hearing of Ravana's encouragement. He picked up his huge trishul (trident) which was cast in very strong iron and was gold-plated. It was capable of killing even devas, danavas, gandharvas, nagas, and yakshas. (We should remember that all these non-humans had a dominant presence and wielded much military power confronting rakshasas.) It was decorated with a huge garland of red flowers and it spewed sparks. It bore stains of the blood of enemies killed by Kumbhakarna before.
Kumbhakarna wanted to go alone into battle. But Ravana asked him to take with him contingents of soldiers carrying tridents and hammers. He cautioned him that vanaras were going to attack from all sides. They could kill enemies merely with their teeth!
Ravana placed a splendid gold necklace on Kumbhakarna's neck. He got bracelets, earrings, garlands, perfumes, and so on to adorn his brother. The word Kumbhakarna means "one with ears like pots". Those pot-like ears were now suitably decorated!
Valmiki says Kumbhakarna shone, with his black waistband, like the Mandara mountain with Vasuki snake around it during the churning of the ocean. He wore a huge armour on his torso which was nearly impenetrable. Valmiki again invokes the simile to Trivikrama as Kumbhakarna now strode forward after circumambulating Ravana and embracing him.
There was an uproar as a grand rakshasa army surrounded Kumbhakarna and marched ahead. A bog shower of flowers in blessings was witnessed.
Kumbhakarna now waxed in size using his rakshasa powers. As a result, he was now looking far more terrifying. He looked like a great mountain. He opened his huge mouth to give a military roar and said, "Oh rakshasas, witness today as I swallow up the enemy like a huge fire swallows moths. By the way, I have no quarrel with poor vanaras. Let them be a decoration for our gardens. My battle is with that Lakshmana and Rama. I shall kill them. That alone will ensure the defeat of vanaras also." This enthused the rakshasa army who then let out a mighty collective roar.
Valmiki now mentions that there appeared several ill-omens. Not only those mentioned on earlier occasions, but also that Kumbhakarna felt many signs on his own body.
प्रास्फुरन्नयनं चास्य सव्यो बाहुरकम्पत - "Kumbhakarna's left eye twitched severely and his left arm also shook in horripilation." Also, just then, a frightening meteor crashed into the earth.
But Kumbhakarna strode on as if being pulled by Destiny/Death. He easily stepped over and across the high rampart of Lanka and proceeded.
Kumbhakarna'appearance had an expected impact. Seeing this extraordinary, immense rakshasa coming at them simply scattered all the vanaras and many swooned. He was roaring in battle spirit repeatedly seeing his own effect on the enemy.
प्रभुरिव किङ्करदण्डवान् युगान्ते - "Kumbhakarna was the god of death come with his attendants and carrying his infamous staff of death at the time of dissolution of the earth."
***
॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
